Anchor 1Eléonore de Montesquiou, ‘Par Exemple, Ebenthal’ Included in The Lay of the Landexhibition – 2011.

The documentary Par Exemple, Ebenthalconsiders the relationship of farmers to their home and land in the suburbs of growing cities, drawn from the example of Ebenthal, a suburb of Klagenfurt in Austria. There are strong parallels to our own regional development here in southern Chester County, PA.

Responses:

1A. Julia Dooley - HG Shelf In response to the example of Ebenthal, Austria, this work addresses the consumerism inherent in suburbanization of rural farmland. 'Big Box store' sprawl follows concentrations of new-housing construction, providing opportunities to shop, at affordable prices, for home decor options that mirror the land's farm community roots. Sometimes described as 'shit on a shelf', this is literally true; look closely at the contents of the blue mason jar. All other objects are clearly marked, "Made in China" and were purchased from a Big Box store. Purchased objects will hopefully be returned for full refund at the conclusion of back, forth.

1B. Rich LombinoHomeless Guy: A (Brief) Opera in Three Actsby Rich LombinoAct I - Guy lives a “normal” lifeA. Guy LoVilla grows up in the suburbs with his parents and younger sister. He enjoys sports, music, and sometimesacting out in class. He does well in college and decides to become an attorney.B. Guy graduates from law school in the top 10% of his class. He lands a prime job at a “top” law firm in the big city.Rents a one bedroom apartment downtown.C. Guy has a girlfriend and asked her to move in with him. She does. He’ll maybe propose sometime soon. He goesout with friends to bars on the weekend. Has a dog.Act II - Guy gets “hurt” and loses everythingA. Guy is a successful attorney for 5 years. But something’s been going on with him the past year. Out of the ordinary.He’s been depressed and anxious and doesn't know why. A family member has a history of depression, but Guyrefuses to believe he’s possibly inherited it. He doesn’t get into treatment.B. Guy’s girlfriend says “I can’t deal with you anymore” and moves out. Guy meets with a supervisor at work whoexpresses concern about Guy’s productivity. Guy assures her he’ll do better. He starts drinking more and callingout from work.C. Guy is fired from his job. They give him a nice severance package and thank him for his work. He goes home anddrinks.D. Guy wakes up day after day and drinks more. His depression has become severe, he’s in denial about his mentalhealth and his alcohol use, and he’s not in treatment.E. His severance and savings are gone. He misses two rent payments and gets an eviction notice. Due to extremeshame, he doesn't reach out to friends or family. He withdraws further into his depression.Act III - Guy becomes homeless … and finds hopeA. Guy is evicted from his apartment. He leaves everything except his guitar and dog. He goes to the park to think.Thankfully, it’s Summer and it’s warm. He falls asleep on a bench.B. That night, Guy is awoken by five teenagers. They are mocking him and calling him a “homeless guy.” He asksthem to please leave him alone. Instead, they beat him and take his guitar and dog. Guy lays on the groundbleeding.C. He stays there until the next morning when he is woken up by a kind police officer. She gives him the address ofthe closest homeless shelter. He says thank you, but after she leaves, he stays in the park. He can’t get himself togo to a shelter. In his mind, that would make him Homeless Guy.D. Guy is still homeless. He’s just no longer street homeless. After two weeks of sleeping in the park, he went to ahomeless shelter.E. He’s residing at a shelter now and realizes that it’s a community of good people. Many just like him. His negativeimage of a “homeless guy” is shattered forever. The community support he’s received has helped him get intotreatment for his mental health and alcohol use issues. Guy is hopeful for the future. And he now knows thatanyone can be homeless.

1C. Sarah AldermanBYPASSED is an interactive documentary about the city of Coatesville. The poorest municipality within the state's wealthiest county, Coatesville is a once-prosperous steel town that has struggled to reinvent itself in a postindustrial America. This documentary serves to go beyond the biased local media and to share the real Coatesville with the outside world.Instead of dwelling on the negatives, our project has been designed to celebrate residents' hope and determination to challenge the stereotypes forced upon them by mainstream media.The local media has often been criticized for its biased and unflattering portrayal of the town. Last summer Al Jazeera America added their voice to fray when they referred to Coatesville as "2 square miles of ghetto". This project will circumvent the mainstream media to present a more complete truth about Coatesville. The finished website will weave video portraits, photography, audio interviews and storytelling projects into an interactive user experience artfully designed just for BYPASSED. We will blend professionally produced and community generated content into one web-based documentary, to build bridges between Coatesville and the greater community, and to facilitate healing and progress within the city itself.

1D. Original paintings by John Abner

Join our email list:

Street Road Visiting / Hours:Call 610-869-4712 or email to set up a visit, or, if you are driving by and see cars outside, just drop in. If you are far, far away, and can't visit in person, we do visits by Skype - email us to set up a virtual visit.Spring 2018: call for an appointment to see Clouded Title and The Dust:American Matter. We are on site multiple days a week and can accommodate most times. ​Directionshere.